In Nicholas' case, however, he seems to be both ahead of his time and comfortably in his age. I remember saying in another thread that I didn't like how inflexible he sounded in Forbidden, when he told Francis, "I don't see anything wrong with a well-trained whore in her place," because it was as if he was dividing women into virgins/wives and whores. Another user defended him by saying that it was how people in general thought during Nicholas' time. Well, fair enough, if that's all there is to it; but he's clearly "progressive" in other ways. He seems to play life by ear, and the only thing I can see him totally ruling out is another relationship with the psycho Therese.

I went and looked up that passage, out of curiousity, and I read it very differently. To me, Nicholas is trying to convince Francis that it's okay to have a relationship with Serena, which Francis is very ambivalent about. Francis is really put off by Serena's behavior, Nicholas is saying, "yeah, she's a whore, but so what? Have some fun."_________________"'Happily ever after, or even just together ever after, is not cheesy,' Wren said. 'It's the noblest, like, the most courageous thing two people can shoot for.'" -- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Yeah, I should probably go back and reread it, too. It has always struck me as encouragement to have a wife and a mistress at the same time. Nicholas must have known that Francis wouldn't have much passion with Lady Anne, so he could have been saying, "You can't expect to get everything from one woman. Have a wife in one place and a whore in another."_________________"To be in a romance is to be in uncongenial surroundings. To be born into this earth is to be born into uncongenial surroundings, hence to be born into a romance." (G.K. Chesterton)

I'll admit that I haven't read An Unwilling Bride yet, so I don't exactly know how Lucien broke up with Blanche and she became involved with Hal. Embarassed So did Hal really ask her, as early as that, to be his wife? He was in love with her even while she was with Lucien?

Don't want to get too far into spoiler territory here, but as soon as Lucien realises he is going to have to marry Beth, he goes to Blanche and breaks it off with her. It is a very moving scene. They both care about each other and they part as friends. Hal only meets Blanche fairly late in the book IIRC when Blanche has just done something seriously heroic and he is completely bowled over by her.

A year or two later, I bet, the hero would have cheated on the heroine with the maid! _________________"To be in a romance is to be in uncongenial surroundings. To be born into this earth is to be born into uncongenial surroundings, hence to be born into a romance." (G.K. Chesterton)

I believed in it, because I thought the hero had both genuinely changed and had actually fallen in love with his wife. He was not the same person at the end of the story._________________"'Happily ever after, or even just together ever after, is not cheesy,' Wren said. 'It's the noblest, like, the most courageous thing two people can shoot for.'" -- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell